Test drive: 2006 Cadillac DTS

BJ Killeen describes her uncle Irving the same way I describe my maternal grandfather: They were Cadillac Men. From the late 50s onwards, Grandpa leased a new Sedan DeVille every two years (except for 1977-82, when he drove a Chevy Caprice Classic to prove to my grandmother that he could, indeed, live without a Cadillac). He died in 1989, just a couple of months before the lease for his '87 Caddy was up. The all-new 2006 DTS certainly seems like a Cadillac my grandfather would love. Not because he was old -- my grandfather aged, but he never got old -- but because the DTS embodies the reason he was a Cadillac Man: Grace, presence, opulence, and a subtle reminder to all around that his years of hard work had paid off. It seems fitting that the era of the Cadillac Man ended shortly after Grandpa died. But now, looking at the pictures of the DTS and reading BJ's review, I'm starting to wonder... with the Japanese setting their sights on BMW and Mercedes, the DTS is once again a uniquely American luxury car, just like the deVille was back in its heyday. Could the era of the New Cadillac Man be upon us? I sure hope so. --Aaron Gold